Study committee recommends closing Gorton Junior High in Warwick

Wednesday

Feb 27, 2013 at 4:52 PM

WARWICK, R.I. -- A special study committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the School Department close Gorton Junior High School as the district looks to balance steadily declining enrollment and the use of its buildings.

Barbara Polichetti

WARWICK, R.I. -- A special study committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the School Department close Gorton Junior High School as the district looks to balance steadily declining enrollment and the use of its buildings.

The committee, which has been meeting since early this year, was focused on the city's three junior high schools which are operating at less than 50-percent capacity, administrators have said.

The recommendation of the subcommittee now must be presented to the School Committee which has said that if ends up considering closing a school, there will be public hearings.

If the closing of Gorton is implemented, it would mean that the district's roughly 1,500 junior high students would be sent to Aldrich and Winman junior high schools.